A Walk in the Park

A Walk in the Park

A walk in the park may soothe the mind and, in the process, change the workings of our brains in ways that improve our mental health, according to an interesting new study of the physical effects on the brain of visiting nature.

“How Walking in Nature Changes the Brain,” by Gretchen Sandler, NYT, July 22,2015

My “running” shoes have gotten old
Their soles are wearing thin.
But all the more I feel the ground
beneath my feet –
I sense the stones
and softer earthy path.

So too my joints,
my bones
have thinned,
my hearing’s going bad.
And yet I walk
and still I hear
a last September cricket
whose valiant chirping
penetrates the woods!

This magic realm
of green abundance overhead
transforms the world
to timeless space:
I am no longer old
and out of it,
a relic of a time gone by
whose techno-skills are
lacking.
Instead I feel transported –
imagination leads
to endless realms
of being.

That woman walking her six dogs?
I see a modern urban shepherdess,
whose well-leashed charges
follow her obediently
as we exchange a greeting.

This sweet rococo image
has barely faded when I see
another fabled form flash past:
bare-armed and muscled,
she runs fast,
Diana with her hounds?

An older couple,
hand in hand,
strolls through dappled light.
With friendly smiles
they stop and tell
about a picnic
in the neighborhood.
“It’s open to all, why don’t you come?”
Philemon and Baucis
live on in Franklin Park.

And so, with mind expanded
and limbs enlivened,
I head for home.
Back to my desk,
my phones, my screens.
But happy to have been away
for a while and free
of my usual limits.